Prior Social Interaction Among Patients with Leukemia and Lymphoma - Both leukemias and lymphomas have variously been suggested as diseases possibly caused by an infectious agent. Recent published observations have suggested that some patients with Hodgkin's disease may have been close personal contacts with others who subsequently developed the disease. The BCRC investigation was instituted to assess the possible relevance of inter-personal contact in the epidemiology of both leukemia and lymphoma. Each case report of leukemia and lymphoma for a 10 year period from three areas of West Virginia was obtained and the patient or a surviving friend or relative was interviewed. In each area, over 60% of all cases could be interlinked on the basis of prior close personal interactions. Similar findings were obtained from two areas in Maryland and one in Pennsylvania. Twenty-eight patients with Hodgkin's disease from various areas in the USA were selected at random and interviewed; ten had a history of close social linkages to other individuals with leukemia or lymphoma. Finally, a case-control approach was utilized in one area in which all patients for a ten year period were matched to normal controls. After all patients and controls were interviewed, it was found that the patients had statistically significantly more close personal associations between themselves than did the matched controls. The study continues.